MARCI MADSEN Made History as First Girl to Win Fargo Soap Box Derby in 1972

July 23, 2025

• MARCI MADSEN didn’t just make history as one of the first girls allowed to compete in the Fargo Soap Box Derby in 1972 – she crushed it, winning the whole event at age 13. While the boys treated her well, some fathers were “really, really mad” she was there, trying to get her disqualified and accusing her of cheating. She had to defend herself in radio and TV interviews, but she wasn’t just building a car – she was bulldozing stereotypes.
• Out of 75 kids who entered that year, including eight girls, MARCI walked away with the biggest prize plus the award for best-designed car. Her victory came after spending nearly 400 hours in the basement with her architect-engineer father Emil, crafting a sleek black racer with red and white trim. The win qualified her for nationals in Akron, Ohio, where she raced against kids from Germany, Venezuela, and Japan in what she calls “a world race, not just a national race.”
• What makes MARCI’s story even better? She wasn’t trying to make a statement – she was just a 13-year-old rural Minnesota girl following her passions. “I learned embroidery and motorcycling with equal attention. My family did not draw such demarcations,” she explains. Decades later, when she returned to Akron during derby weekend, organizers dug up a car for her to race again, and all the current racers and families gave her a standing ovation. Pretty amazing, and absolutely deserved.

chevrolet, fargo racing, soap box derby, youth motorsports